Dispensing-bottle.



PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

l?. G. H. STRASBURGBR.

DISPENSING BOTTLE.

APPLIOATIUN FILED o0'r.a1,19o4.

NITED STATES Patented May 2, 19055.

PATENT OEEICE.

DISPENSING-BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,683, dated May 2, 1905. Application filed October 31, 1904. Serial No. 230,711.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. H. STRAs BURGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dispensing-Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a bottle of simple and inexpensive construction for dispensing tooth-paste.

The invention consists, essentially, of a bottle of any suitable construction provided with a cap closing its mouth and a hollow stem movable longitudinally through the cap and carrying at its lower end a collapsible cup-shaped plunger, which is normally held above the bottom of the bottle and is adapted to be pressed into engagement with the bottom of the bottle and collapsed to force the paste therein up through the stem.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating several embodiments of the invention, Figure l is a sectional view of a bottle containing my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing theinvention embodied in another form. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing another construction of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, 5 is a bottle which is closed by a cap 6, spun thereon. A hollow stem 7 is movable longitudinally through an opening 8 in the cap, and this stem is guided in a sleeve 9, :fastened to the cap. A spring l() is fastened at one'end to the cap and at its other end to the stem just below the sleeve. I prefer that the stem should iit closely in the sleeve to prevent the "paste from escaping through the sleeve in event of the bottle being laid on its side, and as a further precaution against the escape of the paste in this manner I provide a gasket 11 at the lower end of the sleeve. The stem carries at its lower end a collapsible rubber plunger' 12, made substantially in the form of an inverted cup with its open end 13 slightly contracted. The upper end 141 of the stem may be left straight 'or bent, as shown, and a finger-piece 15 of some suitable character is fastened rigidly on the stem above the bottle.

In practice, the bottle having l'irst been filled with paste, the cap, with the other parts fastened thereto, is arranged on and secured to the bottle. The stem will hold the plunger above the bottom ot the bottle, so that the plunger may be normally lilled with the paste in the bottle. When the stein is depressed by applying pressure to the linger-piece, the plunger will be carried into engagement with the bottle and sealed by pressure to prevent the escape of the paste in the plunger except upward through the stem when the plunger is collapsed by continued downward pressure on the stem. If the pressure is applied suddenly, the paste will be squirted out of the discharge end of the nozzle; but if applied gradually the paste will liow accordingly. While it is not absolutely necessary to contract the open end of the plunger and give it a bulge at the center, as shown, I consider this a desirable construction, as it enables the plunger to be easily collapsed without injury to itself. The spring 10 immediately returns the plunger and stein to normal position, as shown, when the pressure on the stem is removed.

My invention can be used in connection with bottles and other receptacles of great variety and for many different purposes. It is especially useful for dispensing tooth-paste, and by depressing' the stem gradually the paste can be distributed over the bristles of a toothbrush evenly and without waste. The pressure upon the plunger suilicient to collapse it in the manner described will seal the open end thereof against the bottom of the bottle and prevent the paste in the plunger from escaping therefrom except through the stem, and as long as the paste in the bottle fills the plunger the quantity of paste dispensed at each complete operation will be measured by the capacity of the plunger.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a cork 17 for closing the bottle mouth, this cork being arranged on the sleeve 9 between the cap-plate 18 and the bottom plate 19. In this construction the spring 10 is mounted ou the stem 7 between the cap-plate and the linger-piece 15'.

To prevent the plunger and stem being accidentally depressed in shipment, I may provide a cup 16 on the upper end of' the stem and a cover 20 to be attached in any suitable manner' to the bottle and inclose the upper IOC) end of the stem, as shown in Fig. 2, for eX- ample. Owing to the i'act that the passage in the stem is comparatively small in diameter, the paste will not ordinarily escape from the bottle through the stem when the bottle is lying on its side unless the bottle is shaken. The cap or cork tightly closes the mouth of the bottle, and the gasket prevents the escape of paste through the sleeve. When the plunger and stem are returned to normal position by the spring, the paste remaining in the stem is sucked back into the cavity in the plunger by reason of the partial vacuum formed in the bottle, and thus the paste is prevented from clogging the passage in the stem. The inherent elasticity of the rubber plunger will to a more or less extent return the plunger and stem to normal position; but I prefer to employ the spring.

Without limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, what l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a bottle, a cap spun upon the mouth of the bottle to close the same,

a hollow stem movable longitudinally through an opening in the cap, a sleeve fastened to the cap to guide said stern, a collapsible plunger on the lower end of the stem, and a spring' connected at one end to the cap and at its other end to the stem to hold said plunger normally above the bottom of the bottle.

2. The combination of a bottle, a closure for the mouth of the bottle, having an opening therethrough, a sleeve supported by said closure around said opening, a hollow stem movable longitudinally in the bottle through said sleeve and closure and projecting above the closure, a collapsible cup-shaped rubber plunger on the lower end of the stem, a spring connected to the Ystem for holding the plunger normally above the bottom of the bottle, and a linger-piece fastened on the stem at such a distance above the bottom of the bottle as will permit oi the collapsing of the plunger.

FRANK C. H. STRASBURGER.

Witnesses:

WM. O. BELT, M. A. M. KIDDIE. 

